


The Hidden Struggles of our Ex-Champion

by Utsuki



Series: Amber [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22658986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Utsuki/pseuds/Utsuki
Summary: Leon is no longer Champion.Free from the Chairman’s control,He has a new life lying ahead.However, he is still haunted by nightmares…
Relationships: Dande | Leon & Rose | Chairman Rose, Dande | Leon/Sonia, Hop/Yuuri | Gloria
Series: Amber [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1630111
Comments: 1
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here is a direct continuation to the Amber series  
> This is a release during Valentine's Day so there will be romance.  
> Enjoy, and kudos/comments are always appreciated! ^^

_Leon runs frantically with all his might in the darkness._

_His lungs were screaming for air._

_He only had one goal, getting to his family’s home as fast as he can._

_He slows down his pace when he finally sees the familiar house appearing in his vision._

_When he is in front of the door, he reaches for the doorknob with a trembling hand and turns it, realizing to his shock that the door isn’t locked._

_His heart beating fast at an alarming rate, he opens it and sees his mom, his grandparents and his little brother all lying on the floor, unconscious._

_As he stares at the scene before him with horror, his mouth agape, a cold voice coming from an approaching figure makes its way into the enclosed space._

_"See what happens when you don’t listen to me?"_

_The silhouette of a man comes closer until he is right behind him, his hands holding each side of his upper arms, making him tense up to the touch, and then the man whispers into his ear._

_"...This is all your doing."_

* * *

Leon wakes up gasping for air. 

He sits upright on his bed, quickly realizing to his relief it was just a nightmare.

Shortly after he had begun to settle down with his new life in Wyndon, away from the Chairman’s control, he had started to have bad dreams again that prevent him from having a good sleep. This one he had tonight was by far the worst one. It was so vivid, he wished he didn’t remember it.

He recomposes himself slowly, moving the thick strands of hair sticking on his forehead away from his face, finding out how much he had sweated.

He grabs his watch lying beneath his pillow to see the time.

4:00.

Moaning, he reluctantly gets out of bed. He had tried to fall back asleep before when he woke up in the middle of the night. It never worked.

He takes his clothes off, turns the light of his bathroom on and steps into the bathtub naked. He then turns on the shower head and instantly relaxes under the touch of hot water. 

For a moment, he just gazes blankly at the drain while being drenched with water from head to toe, with his soaked purple hair down on his shoulders and back. Then memories of tonight’s nightmare came back making him shiver and hold himself instinctively.

_ How much longer will he have to endure these awful dreams? _

_ He now has a new life before him. _

_ The Chairman is in prison. He won’t be able to harm any of his family members, his friends, nor himself… _

Decided to stop thinking about it, he quickly showers, then steps off the bathtub, drying himself up and changing onto jogging clothes, the thicker ones for the winter. 

After finishing eating two loafs of oran berry-jam bread and drinking a glass of Moomoo Milk, he walks out of his place and starts to jog in the neighbourhood. 

After about half an hour of jogging, he feels his Ultra Ball that he brought with him shake in his pocket. 

With a smile on his face, he takes it out and throws it in the air, making his Charizard come out. 

He runs to him and pats him on the head. 

" Sorry, did I wake you up?"

His Charizard purrs, his muzzle nudging him gently on the cheek. Leon then feels his gaze on him. His Pokémon has always been sensitive to his partner’s emotions.

"I’m ok, pal, just a bad nightmare," he gives him the best smile he can muster to reassure him.

As if reading Leon’s next train of thought, his Charizard turns his back to him, inviting him with a wag of its tail to climb on. 

"You know me too well," he chuckles. 

In a swift jump he lands on top of his Charizard, feeling the comfortable heat radiating from its body. 

"Ready when you are."


	2. Chapter 2

**02/14/2020 8:00 - Sonia’s house **

Sonia wakes up to the sound of her alarm playing Leon’s Battle theme which she quickly turns off.

She tosses and turns a few times before sitting up on her bed.

For a moment, she just stares blankly at her Rotom Phone’s screen laying in front of her on top of her blanket.

Then something clicks in her mind as she sees the date.

"IT’S VALENTINE’S DAY!" She shouts while holding her unruly morning bed hair. _How could she forget??_

She sprints to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her hair, maintaining her usual natural look. Then she rushes back to her bedroom and opens her wardrobe. She searches for red or pink clothes. After a few tries in front of the mirror, she decides to wear a black top with a red knee-lenght cardigan to accompany her blue jeans. 

Satisfied, she heads down to the kitchen and sees her Yamper running towards her from the living room and barking happily at her presence. 

"Hey buddy! Did Gran give you something to eat?"

Her Pokémon barks enthusiastically in response.

"Great! Wait for me a bit, I’ll finish preparing food for the day at work and we’ll walk to the Lab together, all right?" She smiles.

* * *

**02/14/2020 9:15 - Pokémon Research Lab, Wedgehurst **

Hop is alone in the lab and is sitting down at his desk. He has been reading attentively since 8:00 in the morning one of the Research Lab’s thick encyclopedias about Pokémon in the Galar region. 

He is wearing a black turtleneck sweater underneath his unbuttoned lab coat and a slim pair of beige jeans in respect to Sonia's dress code for work, giving him a more mature feel.

He stops for a moment to take a break and drinks the rest of his coffee that has turned lukewarm. He then picks his Rotom Phone out of his lab coat’s pocket and looks at the time. 

_Sonia is a bit late. She usually arrives around 9:00._

Just as he was thinking that, Sonia steps in the Lab with her Yamper without her lab coat on. 

"Morning Hop!"

"Morning Sonia! So… What’s with the new look?"

"...You don’t know? It’s Valentines Day." 

Silence.

"Oh CRAP! I forgot!!"

Sonia was going to say she almost forgot herself but her mind instantly shifts to what Hop’s reaction entails.

"Sooo... do you plan to confess to a certain someone?" She teases.

Hop’s face goes Tamato berry red.

"What are you talking about?! Of course not!!" He waves frantically.

Sonia is not planning on dropping the topic, finding this situation too amusing to pass.

"Really? Don’t think I don’t know you have a thing for Gloria."

"Soniaaa, stop teasing me!" He whines.

"Ok, ok, fine, I’ll stop. But only if you tell me honestly your relationship with Gloria." She grins.

Hop avoids her look and stares at the ground. 

"...We’re friends… Best friends." He says with a small voice.

Sonia knows that’s a half-lie. The two are so compatible it hurts to just see them not admitting their feelings to each other already.

"...But this year I thought I would maybe tell her my feelings…" He continued.

"Well then what are you waiting for? This is the perfect time to spill the beans!"

"It’s not that easy Sonia. I don’t know how our relationship is going to turn out if I confess to her. It might become super awkward. Imagine she doesn’t even like me!!!"

Sonia looks at Hop’s worried expression and sees herself in him. Not too long ago she was in the same situation.

"Are you ok though to continue hiding your feelings? What happens if Gloria thinks you don’t like her and finds herself another boyfriend?"

"Gloria wouldn’t do that!!"

Sonia tries to hold her laugh at Hop’s cuteness.

"I was only kidding. In any case, she wouldn’t do that… because she probably likes you!! But don’t keep her waiting too long, since she might lose heart. She is not the type to confess after all. At least show some hints from time to time that you like her too, so if she picks up on it and returns hints back to you, then you will hopefully find the right moment to confess."

Hop is in silent awe at her words of advice. He was listening to her seriously.

"Love is a mind game, Hop."

"...Yeah, no kidding. It’s way too much for my brain to handle."

They both chuckle at that. 

"All right, time to get back to work. You have a lot of things to read."

"Yes, Sonia."

" _Professor_ Sonia," she teases. "Remember, the deal was for you to call me that when I am on my professor mode," she says nonchalantly.

"Yes, Professor Sonia…"  Hop answers half-heartedly.

He can never tell when she turns into her “work mode”, if there is one at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**02/14/2020 16:00 - Wyndon **

Leon comes out of the Battle Tower feeling exhausted and sleepy. At least it’s the weekend so he won’t have to come to work tomorrow. 

He gives himself a good pat on the cheeks, willing himself to stay awake.

Tonight is a special night. He had invited Sonia to come to his place to eat dinner for Valentine’s Day. It has been almost a month since she had confessed to him. They had done a few dates since but their relationship has still been progressing slowly, which of course is all his fault. Sonia kept telling him though that there is no need to rush things. She seems content enough just to spend more time with him as opposed to when he was Champion and working under the Chairman.

Leon arrives home quickly with the help of his Charizard. Upon entering, he turns the lights on and goes into the kitchen to double check that he had all the necessary berries for their dinner. Sonia wanted to make curry with him, even if he offered to cook himself. He recalls their conversation about this a week ago. 

_"Leon, we are going to eat for our romantic dinner a Charizard Class curry! And you know how hard it is to achieve this alone. So we are going to make one together!"_

Remembering this brings a smile to his face. 

He checks the time and sees that Sonia should arrive in about half an hour. She insisted that he didn’t have to go pick her up from her place in Wedgehurst. She accepted his proposal though to pay for her Corviknight ride. 

In the mean time, he goes to his bedroom to change his clothes. He removes his signature red tailcoat and beige breeches, and wears a red V-neck sweatshirt and black skinny trousers that he had recently bought. He then stands in front of the mirror to attach his hair. Since they will be cooking, it would help to keep his wild hair out of the way. He also noticed Sonia likes it when he has his hair tied up. 

He then goes back to the kitchen and proceeds in cooking the rice on the stovetop, something he is used to do by now. 

Because they both love curry, he had considered buying a rice cooker. It almost feels foreign to him for having these domestic thoughts. He had after all for the longest time lived alone with his Pokémon in this town hous e. And yet his place has a very cozy ambiance that can be perfect for a couple. The feeling of constantly sharing his private space with someone else is not bad at all, but it might take some time to get used to, even with Sonia whom he trusts the most, he regretfully thought. 

Just when his rice is almost ready, the doorbell rings. He turns the stove off, walks to the entrance and opens the door.

"Happy Valentine’s Day!" Sonia cheers.

" Same to you!"

They kiss each other on the cheeks. He then motions her to come in.

Sonia leaves her things on the couch and walks to the kitchen. 

"You got all the ingredients ready I see! I can’t wait!" She exclaims cheerfully. 

He smiles and follows her to the kitchen. 

When they’re done gathering everything they need and put the ingredients in the pot that Leon placed on the stove, they give each other a determined nod. 

"Ready?"

"Ready."

They begin stirring the pot together. As they continue giving it a good stir, something feels off.

"Leon, I don’t see enough sparkles, put your heart into it more!"

"I’m… trying…"

Leon’s vision becomes blurry. His fatigue has reached its peak. 

"Are you all right Leon?" Sonia looks at him worryingly. 

"I’m ok, just… tired."

"Let’s stop here. The curry looks fine anyway."

"Sorry… You were so looking forward to making a Charizard class curry too."

"Don’t be silly. What’s more important is your health."

Sonia gazes at Leon. It’s a crime for a man to look this good even when he is tired. She puts her hand underneath his bangs to touch his forehead.

"You don’t seem to have a fever at least. Go sit first at the dining table. I will finish up our curry. We will savour it soon," she smiles.

Leon sits at the table as he was told and rests his head in his hands. A short while after, Sonia brings two plates over and sits across him. She had gathered the rice on top of the curry in a heart shape for each of the plates. 

"Thanks Sonia, they look great."

"My pleasure."

They both take a bite of the curry and silently judge the taste.

"What class do you think it is?" Sonia asks.

"I’m not sure. Milcery?"

"I think so too. It’s strange, we had all the berries needed. Maybe it’s something we can only achieve while out camping after all. You know, since we skipped the “fan the flames” step."

"It’s possible."

She grins sweetly, "I’m still happy whatever the result is, since I had fun cooking together."

"I’m glad to hear that," he says in an endearing smile.

Sonia blushes, seeing his expression.

They continue eating their plate in comfortable silence, their hunger taking over.

While they’re eating, Sonia takes a few glances at him and sees small bags under his eyes that are barely noticeable, had she not looked at him more closely.

"Have you been lacking sleep? Is that why you’re feeling so tired?"

Leon halts in his movement and stays quiet, as if he is thinking how to answer her.

Sonia waves her hands defensively. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosy! I’m just concerned as your… lover," she says shyly.

"You don’t have to apologize, Sonia. Sorry for making you worry," he avoids her look, turning his gaze to his plate. "You are right…" he simply answers.

"I see… Would you be all right telling me what keeps you from sleeping?" She asks carefully.

"I… I had…"

Leon’s vision is starting to be clouded with darkness as he unwillingly remembers the vivid nightmare of his family members lying on the ground, his heart beating faster by the second as the dream is being replayed in slow motion, his breathing about to stop…

"Leon!! Snap out of it!"

Sonia is cupping his face with her hands.

"Look at me, Leon. Do you see me?"

Leon stares at her as if he just woke up from a trance, visions of his nightmare gone as he now sees Sonia’s worried face in full view. 

"…I see you, Sonia."

She sighs with great relief, breaking her hold of his face as she stands away. 

"Thank goodness. I thought I had lost you there. What happened?"

Leon is still having difficulty grasping at the situation. He never had flashes of his dreams like this before while he was awake. 

"I had a bad dream last night. And… just now I saw scenes from the dream replaying on their own," he says without a hint of emotion. 

"A bad dream?" Sonia questions, concern in her eyes. "…Is it related to Chairman Rose?"

"Yes."

Sonia’s fists tighten in response, the two remaining quiet. There is a lot of questions that pop up in her head with this revelation. She is afraid though to bring them up and hurt him more, especially with what just happened. 

Leon watches Sonia closely. He had seen this side of her not too long ago. The detective Sonia who persistently searches for the truth. He isn’t just some victim in a case though to her. He had learned with time that she truly cares for him. If there is someone capable he can choose to trust in sharing his problems, it’s her. 

"Can we continue our talk on the couch? I will make some tea."

A glint in her turquoise eyes can be seen in the warm lights, as she is glad he would confide in her. 

"Ok! I’ll help clean the dishes."

"Thanks," he manages a smile.

When they’re done washing all the plates and tools, and preparing tea, they sat down on the same couch, with the tray of tea on the coffee table.

For a moment, the living room is quiet, Sonia waiting patiently until he is ready to talk. 

"…I have a couple of nightmares for the past weeks… Horrible nightmares where the Chairman harms my family… because I don’t follow his orders."

Sonia is silent as she is processing the information he just revealed without letting her anger over the Chairman take control.

"I was hoping the dreams would go away after a few days…" Leon clenches his hand out of frustration, feeling helpless.

Sonia gently puts her hand on his fist, earning his attention to her.

"Leon, I’m not a therapist, but if I can share your burdens even a bit, I want us to work it out together from now on. So please, I don't want to see you suffer alone anymore," she pleads.

Leon’s eyes widen over her words.

She then intertwines their fingers to further increase her point. 

"I will always be here for you," she says in her most radiant smile.

Leon’s heart leaps at this moment. 

He suddenly remembers what Sonia had said to him back when she confessed her feelings to him: _"I'm reserving the real kiss for when you love me back!"_

Is this what love feels like?

He leans in close to her until they are but a breath away, then he kisses her gently on the lips before moving back.

Sonia touches her lips, still savouring the moment.

She blushes hard. 

"You… Did you just kiss me?"

This time, it’s Leon’s turn to blush and he looks away, hiding his eyes under his bangs.

"You idiot! Isn’t it obvious?" He expresses shyly.

Sonia’s heart beats fast, her eyes shining.

"So you love me now, don’t you? Say you love me!" She exclaims enthusiastically while getting him to look at her, much to his resistance. 

"It’s too embarrassing!"

"Nonsense! Isn’t it more embarrassing to kiss?!"

They keep struggling on the couch until Leon lies on his back with Sonia on top of him. 

"Can I kiss you then?" She asks, composed.

He nods quietly, closing his eyes as Sonia leans in and kisses him, deeper this time. 

They break the kiss when they run out of breath, content with just looking at each other tenderly. 

"Thank you, Sonia," he smiles to her warmly, amber eyes gazing into hers deeply.

She smiles back to him in response, "I love you."

"…I love you, too."

**Author's Note:**

> That brings the end of the second part of this AMBER collection! Thank you for those that have continued reading this series and for the new readers!


End file.
